Care to run this by Ralph and see if he intends to sue me (or worse?) I don't think there's much of a direct lift, but I can't find the original letter, so I can't even friggin remember...

db

A Barrel Of Junkies

I once watched a man as he ran out of steam

He just stayed there where he lay

Fell to the ground with a crumpling sound On the ground there he did stay

I watched him aghast through the dark window glass As he transformed into a ghost The streetlights they turned into gallows poles The stop signs became whipping posts

BSEC And the eyes on the street flicking this way and that With the calm of electronic cats Gaze on the night walkers hurrying past With their faces obscured in their hats

Well I bought the bloody ticket So I ride the bloody train And I keep my bloody mouth shut And I learn how to like the game And sometimes I may get maudlin But I’ll be damned if I complain The world was never different It’s just me who I find is changed

And baby ive seen this world Yes Ive seen the world Ive seen the world And it’s been more fun Yes It’s been more fun Than a day in the sun With a barrel of junkies

On alternating Thursdays It’s legal to sleep on the street Except weeks that start with Tuesday Cause that’s when the Mission Teams compete

And Wednesday of course is a problem That’s when the conventions come home And the City Attorney says Friday of course Is reserved for the Children of Rome

BSEC The cars sweeping by with their rotating eyes Past the suicides and the drunks The dangerous highs and the desperate goodbyes Down the alleys of crack and of junk

Ride the mighty dragon You risk the mighty fall Put your wardrobe in a wagon And get ready for the crawl Some tell me that I’m cynical That somehow I can’t see the light It’s just that I cannot adjust my eyes To see in the dark of the night

Baby I’ve seen this world Ive seen the world Ive seen the world And it’s been more fun Yes It’s been more fun Than a day In the sun With a barrel of junkies